Signs For Those Of Understanding

Taiping Lake Raintrees, the beauty of Nature.

Preface

This article is started with Raintrees, the amazement from natures. You can click once on the photo above with a larger view of this scene. As you can see, those trees branches is so eager to taste the sweetness of lake.

When I was a kid, my family always brought me to Taiping Lake. The breeze of Taiping Lake, those trees branches which climbing over my head, those monkeys who grabs food a lot was my best childhood memories.

I'm not a Taiping citizen, in a matter of fact I was hijrah (migrates) from Ipoh to Taiping after embraced Islam few years ago. 



Raintrees !!! Raintrees !!!

In jubilant mood: Residents rejoicing after hearing the Taiping Municipal Council’s decision to call off the development of kiosks at the Taiping Lake Gardens.

I was reading The Star newspaper and saw a good news, Taiping Council has decided to call off plans to develop food and souvenir kiosks near the iconic century-old raintrees along Jalan Pekeliling stretch of the Taiping Lake Gardens.

The news is briefly about :

Tuesday July 31, 2012

TAIPING: The people here are happy that the iconic raintrees on Jalan Pekeliling at the Taiping Lake Gardens and its serene view will remain untouched. Although the Taiping Municipal Council has shelved plans to build several kiosks along the garden's green belt, they remain cautious as to what would come next.

Carpenter S. Jeyaratnam, 38, said the council should have consulted the people before deciding to develop the area. “The gardens are an important part of Taiping's unique identity. Thus, any decision pertaining to its development should take into consideration the views of the public before it is made official,” he said.

Related News Link :

Council to rule on Taiping Lake Gardens project on Monday
Residents happy raintrees remain unharmed
Taiping Lake Gardens was an abandoned tin mine
Taiping Council cancels devt of food kiosks near Lake Garden raintrees



Where Are Those Planets Come From?

The beauty of nature is simply amazing.
When I was studying at primary school, I was most fascinated with science universe. I was paying full attention when teacher shows us the picture of Planets. Imagine the Sun is 100x times larger than the earth! A black hole that going to squeeze everything including light into stomach! And there are 500 billion galaxies around the earth!

"Teacher, where are those planets come from?"

The teacher wasn't answer my question. He just smiled and continues his teaching with textbook. Perhaps my question is just like any kid asking some clueless question.. It's just like cracking our head into a maze that don't have exit, or calculating a math question that lead to dead end.

After graduated from school, I still have the same curiosity with every nature's beauty and creation. I even tried to observe a cat who is licking its face and asked myself : "Well.... Who teach this little cutie about facial treatment with paws?"

"There must be someone who teach the cat about it  before it was born." Later on I found myself was day dreaming, "Must be sort of like Matrix theory, everything is programmed by the Computer. It's just follow the formula written.. Just like Neo notice the same dark cat cross a room twice."


Alright, I admit that I am a Movie Geeks as well.


Any Question? al-Quran Got The Answer

Through observation and thoughts we might know there are "signs"

Through observation, every doubts stick inside my heart and hard to get rid away. So I was taking initiative to read books about philosophy and science. Especially Science Fiction kind of storybook, there are just too many wonders and surprise await for us to discover.

Year 2005, NASA have been astonished the world with their new facts : They have found the 10th Planet! It's a breakthrough in Universe science because we always have been taught by school teacher that there are only 9 planets exist.

"It's definitely bigger than Pluto." So says Dr. Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology who announced today the discovery of a new planet in the outer solar system

The planet, which hasn't been officially named yet, was found by Brown and colleagues using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. It is currently about 97 times farther from the sun than Earth, or 97 Astronomical Units. For comparison, Pluto is 40 AU from the sun. 

Source : 
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/29jul_planetx/

"Look! It's so surprising that our scientist have found the new planet!" I was showing the newspaper to my muslim friend at school. But she just seems calm and said :" I knew about it already long time ago, in facts there are two more planets is not stated in any science book."

"What? Two more planets?? It's impossible you can know everything about the universe, NASA is using their best telescope and science knowledge to discover it with proof!"
"Yes, indeed God have been stated the amount of planets in al-Quran. Now they found the 10th planet, soon or later they will be found the last 11th planet."

What she said really frustrated me, as I knew there are no religions dare to challenge Science. Science is the best "religions" with proof and statement, a lot of my friends have become atheist due to the amazement of Science. That' ridiculous if any religions theory may win over Science theory.

Somehow, next few days the newspaper published the same thing that announced by Islamist profession. They emphasized that Allah, the Creator have been confirmed the amount of planet. It's was such a controversy between religion follower and scientist, this incident also makes me wondering what Islam is exactly about.

Searching For The New Planet 

Later on I realized that I wasn't only searching for new planet, I was searching for the origin of every creations also, which is the Al-Mighty Creator.

I was staring at the stars that blinking at night and being confused.
"Well.... If there are God ever existed who created this universe, may God please show me that You are exist. I don't know whether You are exist or not, If You Do, please show me the answer." I found myself whispering to the sky. The moon and stars is remains the same, they are my best listeners always.

"If God ever existed, then I'm willing to prostrated myself in front of Him every moment."

Therefore, how can I ever believe that this universe created by any Human? Idols? Saints? Monk? The size of any planet is even much huge than their size.


Signs For Those Of Understanding

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire - You have disgraced him, and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers. Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.

(Surat 'Āli `Imrān 3 : 190-194 )

I was embraced Islam few months already when this al-Quran verse comes to me for the very first time. al-Quran is the revelation directly from God through His messenger, prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As a Creator of universe, for sure He know every details of His creations. Including what His servants praying for and thinking about.

One of the reason I choose Islam is due to my observation against Nature and Universe.
At the moment I recited Shahadah the declaration of faith, my viewpoint about everything around me is totally changed. I have been started to realize that every creations is not being created for nothing, everything have their own purpose to work with this world.

The signs of God is all around us. Sometimes we are living so comfortably with what we have on earth, till we forgot to ask ourself a very simple question : "What is the purpose of life?"

Every beauties of Nature is our best reminder indeed. Human may trying to design a lot of tall buildings and great mansions, but there are no mankind able to create something out from nothing. Allah Knows Best.


Little Question :

Well.... How many planets we have exactly at Universe?
So far NASA found 10 planets and a Sun, and as for al-Quran is stated :

[Of these stories mention] when Joseph said to his father, "O my father, indeed I have seen [in a dream] Eleven Stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me."

(Surat Yūsuf  12 : 4 )



Believe in or not?
Time will tell.





Related articles :

http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.99/science.htm